THE ARCHIVE BY COUNTRY
Published reports from our archive, newest first.
A country may refer to the theft, recovery, return or legal proceedings. A case can be linked to more than one country.
4 reports
Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture announced the transfer of ownership of 39 Benin objects to Nigeria’s NCMM, signed in Lagos on 5 November. The objects derive from the 1897 British looting. Six will remain in Sweden on a ten-year loan, so the announcement does not mean all 39 physically returned.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Culture Commissioner Claudia Roth handed Benin bronzes from German collections to Nigerian officials in Abuja. British troops had seized works from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, and many of the objects later entered European collections through the art market.
Benin plaque from the Horniman collection involved in the ownership transfer. Horniman Museum and Gardens. Image source ↗
On 28 November 2022, the Horniman announced transfer to Nigeria of ownership of 72 objects taken from Benin City in 1897. Six were due for handover that evening; the rest would initially remain in Britain on loan. The announcement does not confirm arrival of all 72 in Nigeria.
Ceremonial Head of a King, one of the Smithsonian works. Photo: Franko Khoury, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. Image source ↗
At a Washington ceremony, ownership of 31 works looted from Benin City in 1897 was transferred to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments: 29 from the Smithsonian, one from RISD Museum and one from the National Gallery of Art. The announcement confirms legal transfer, rather than physical shipment of all 31 objects to Nigeria.
